Q: How do you get what you want?
A: You ask!
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Does this seem simple? Maybe I have oversimplified? It is true though that our comfort zones keep us from asking, often, when to ask would have been the thing that worked.
Why don’t we ask? Often we are embarrassed or we make up a story:
- They will say no
- They will judge me/think I’m stupid/think….
- I don’t deserve it
- That’s not how things work
What is your story? What is the thing that keeps you from asking for what you want?
A couple weeks ago, I took my 17 year old son to the pound to look at puppies. He found a beautiful pup that he wanted to take home. We went into the play room and I watched them run around and the puppy twirl in the air. So funny to see. It was sweet to watch. A few minutes later, one of the volunteers came in and said this: “I looked in the computer and this puppy has a chip. We have called the owners and they are coming back to redeem her.”
My son and I sat for a few minutes in silence as the woman took the puppy back to its cage. Finally we looked at each other and I said, “Okay; let’s go home.” We stood up and on the way out the door he said to me, “I’m going to ask them to double check.”
We went to the counter and he hesitated. “Do you want to ask?” I asked him, and then I stood back.
His personality is not particularly outgoing. He’s not shy, but he is calm and does not always speak up. He said to the man behind the counter, “We saw this puppy and they told us that she is not available for adoption and I’m just wondering, would you look in the computer and double check for us?”
The man said yes and we stood there. It was a process. Finally, he looked up at us and said, “This puppy is available.”
We are getting her today.
And that is how it’s done.
